American actor Mahershala Ali is married to Amatus-Sami Karim.
Marriage and Family
Meet and Marry: The couple met at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts in 1997 (Ali was pursuing an MFA in acting and Karim was an undergraduate) and were married in 2013, a relationship that lasted more than 15 years.
Children: He welcomed daughter Bari Najma Ali on February 22, 2017, just four days after she was born and after Ali won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Moonlight Boys. In his acceptance speech, he called his wife “a warrior through this journey.”
Wife's Background
CAREER: Karim is a multi-talented artist in music, film, television and theater, working as a producer, actor, composer, and has written music for Broadway shows and been nominated for a Drama Desk Award. Her work focuses on identity, history, and pop culture.
Faith and Culture:Karim was born on the South Side of Chicago to a Muslim family (her father was a jazz musician and imam, her mother a social worker) and moved to Philadelphia as a child. She led Ali to Islam (Ali was originally a Christian), and their relationship deepened through spiritual empathy.
Education: Graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and spent a year at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).
Key Timeline
1997: Met at New York University.
2013: Marriage.
2017: Birth of a daughter and Ali's first Oscar.
2018: Ali wins another Oscar for Green Book and Karim accompanies him to the ceremony.
Karim is not only his life partner, but also his artistic and spiritual confidante. The two have a relationship based on respect, support and shared beliefs, making them an example of an understated but solid Hollywood companion.
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